Postage printing die protection



April 8, 1958 F. J. ROUAN 2,829,591

POSTAGE PRINTING DIE PROTECTION Filed May 10, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 VINVENTOR.

April 8, 1958 F. J. ROUAN 2,829,591

POSTAGE PRINTING DIE PROTECTION Filed May 10, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2ATTORNEY April s, 1958 ROUAN 2,829,591

POSTAGE PRINTING DIE PROTECTION Filed May 10, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet aUnited States Patent POSTAGE PRINTING DIE PROTECTION Francis J. Rouan,Darien, Conn., assignor to Pitney- Bowes, Inc., Stamford, Conn., acorporation of Delaware Application May 10, 1956, Serial No. 584,090"

7 Claims. (Cl. 101-91) This invention relates to printing dieprotection, in as sociation with postage or other value printing, and isprimarily concerned with the prevention of the taking of unauthorized orfraudulent impressions from the printing die.

In a rotary postage printing device, postage impressions are adapted tobe printed on letters or tape passed between a printing element and aplaten roller, and inasmuch as each impression is of predeterminedvalue, the said value is registered within suitable registeringmechanism. It is important therefore to prevent taking more than the onelegitimate impression from the printing die surface at the printingposition during a printing cycle of operation. i

There have been various means suggested for the protection of printingdies which are well adapted for the purpose. However, as the developmentof postage meters has progressed, efforts have been directed towardsreduction in size of all parts including the printing assembly.Reduction in size of the latter, however, has met some resistance byreason of the necessity for the presence of the die protection means andthe nature of their operation as heretofore constructed. According tothe present invention it has been discovered that by arranging aprojectable die protection device within the value printing area it ispossible to effect substantial space economies with equal protectioneffectiveness, which is the primary object of this invention.

Another object of the present invention is the arrangement ofprojectable printing die protection means in a position intermediate thevalue printing wheels of a settable value printing mechanism.

Another object of the invention is the provision in a rotary printingdevice of novel simplified mechanism for controlling the positioning ofa projectable die protection means.

Still another object of the invention is the provision in connectionwith a settable value printing die wheel of a die protection meanshaving projectable elements serving also as detent means for determiningthe position of a value printing wheel.

In the drawings a preferred form of the invention is shown wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a postage printer having aprinting head according to the invention, with a portion of the casingbroken away to show the printing die in home position.

Fig. 2 is a transaxial section through the printing drum and housing ofFig. 1. i t

Fig. 3 is a detail section substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are fragmentary detail sections similar to Fig. 2 butwith most of the printing drum shown in phantom for purposes of clarity,and showing the parts in successive positions during a printing cycle.

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view showing a die protection element andthe moving means therefor.

Referring to the drawings in detail a printing member t tion. exerted onthe actuating arms 58, however, will oppose or drum 11 is mounted on ashaft 13 which may be cyclically driven in one direction as indicated byarrows C in any suitable manner, and is always prevented from rotationin the opposite direction. On the surface of the printing drum is apostage printing die 15 which includes a value printing portion 17.

Beneath the printing drum for cooperation with the printing dies thereonis an impression roller 19.

A casing 21 envelops the front, back and top of the printing drum, thebottom portion being left open so that printing on passing tape,envelopes or other articles can be effected. The shaft 13 passes throughan opening 23 in the back of the casing 21 for supporting and rotatingthe drum 11 within the casing. A pivoted die guard element 25 at theapproach side of the opening 23 and a lip 27 at the retreat side serveto close off the bottom of the casing as much as practical to provideminimum access to the printing die while it is in the lower or printingposition.

The value printing portion 17 of the postage printing die 15 is made upof settable type wheels 29, 31 and 33 rotatable on a common shaft 35mounted in the printing drum 11. The type wheels have attached theretodriving gears, i. e. gears 37, 39 and 41 respectively. The gears 37, 39and 41 are driven by racks 43, 45 and 47 respectively connected to slidebars 49, 51 and 53 respectively mounted slidably in suitablelongitudinal grooves in the shaft 13. The type wheels 29, 31 and 33 areso mounted that the portion of their peripheries which are in printingposition are flush with the surface of the rest of printing die 15. Byoperating the slide bars 49, 51 and 53 in a known manner, the wheels 29,31 and 33 can be set for any desired value to be printed, and thepostage meter mechanism. is arranged, as is known in the prior art, in amanner to register the amount printed at each printing operation.

It can be seen that the drive gears and racks compel the presence ofnarrow spaces between the type wheels.

These spaces, already required by the wheel setting elewiched betweenthe type wheels and have actuating arms 58 projecting to one side of thetype wheels where they are rockably mounted on a pin 59 affixed to theprinting drum 11. Each of the levers has a tooth 61 formed thereon likethat seen in Fig. 3, arranged to engage between the teeth of'theadjacent drive gear 39 or 41 to act as a detent thereagainst. The leversare urged into detent position by springs 63 one of which is seen inFig. 3.' When the levers 55 and 57 are in detent or solid line positionas seen in Fig. 3, their protecting portions are disposed betweenthetype wheels and below the printing surfaces thereof so as to be out ofoperative posi- A pressure radially inwardly of the drum 11 the force ofsprings 63 and cause the protective portions of the levers. 55 and 57 tobe projected from between the type wheels into operative position asshown in broken lines in Fig. 3. The expression below the printingsurface is selected herein to indicate a withdrawn position of theprotecting means where it fails to interfere with the printingoperation, and is used as a convenience to describe this relationshipregardless of the particular horizontal or vertical relationships whichmay be involved in any particular situation.

An operating lever 65 is carried by one face of the printing drum 11 andis pivoted thereon by a pin 67. The lever 65 has a contact portion 69adjacent and-outwardly of the operating end portions 58 of the dieprotection levers 55 and 57, and an outer cam edge 71 disposed toencounter and move along a roller 73 mounted on a fixed axis in thehousing 21 as the printing drum rotates. A slight rocking movement isimparted to the lever by the engagement of its cam edge 71 with theroller 73 during the period of their contact which represents aboutonehalf rotation of the drum 11. A torsion spring 75 (Fig. 2) isarranged at the pivot location 67 and is disposed so as to urge theoperating lever 65 outwardly against the roller 73 when in position totouch the same, or otherwise against a suitable stop 77 aifixed to thesurface of the drum 11.

In operation a letter, tape or other article identified by referencecharacter A will be advanced in the direction indicated by arrow B inFig. 1, the printing drum being in the home or Fig. 2 position. At theappropriate time the drive for drum 11 will be automatically tripped ina known mannerlto start drum rotation in the direction of arrows C,whereupon the drum 11 will make contact with the article A and start tofeed it forward against the impression roller 19. As the leading edge ofthe printing die 15 moves down into contact with the article A thetrailing end is still protected by guard 25 from unauthorized access.When the parts reach the Fig. 4 position, the value printing section 17is making its impression. It can be seen that the lever 65 has madecontact with the roller 73, but the cam edge 71 has a long leading concentric portion which produces no lever movement other than initialdisplacement from the stop 77. In Fig. 4 the parts are shown with theroller 73 at the end of said concentric portion with a slightly bulgedportion 71a of the cam edge extending therebeyond.

As the printing continues (Fig. the value portion 17 of the die beginsto be exposed beyond the impression roller 19 and substantially thewhole die 15 is accessible between guard and lip 27, rendering the die15, except for the protective mechanism, in a sense susceptible to thetaking of fraudulent impressions. However, at this position theprotective mechanism comes into operation, for the bulged portion 71a oflever 65 is then in contact with roller 73 so that the lever 65 is movedinwardly against the force of its spring 75. The contact portion 69engages the actuating arms 58 of die protection levers and 57 causingthe protective end portions thereof to be projected beyond the printingsurface. Thus the only printing which can be performed is the continuedprogressive printing of the already initiated impression on article A,any attempt to take another complete or substantially completeimpression at this drum position being defeated by the projectingprotective portions of levers 55, 57. The bulged portion 71a of the camedge of lever 65 is of suflicient length that the protecting portions oflevers 55 and 57 will remain projected until the value printing portion17 has progressed far enough to be fully guarded by the lip 27 (Fig. 6),at which point the lever 65 ends and drops ed the roller 73 to be heldagainst its stop 77 until the next revolution.

As seen in Figs. 3 and 7 the teeth 61 on levers 55 and 57 are urged bysprings 63 into firm engagement between the teeth of gears 39 and 41 andserve to position the printing wheels 31 and 33 accurately in theirselected position during printing, thus avoiding the inclusion ofseparate detent means. The wheel 29 may, of course, be held by detentmeans of the usual form (not shown), or an additional blade similar tothe blades 55, 57 may be associated with it and with its gear 37 ifdesired.

While the foregoing description sets out specifically a rotary postageprinter, it will be readily understood that certain aspects of theinvention pertain with equal force to other types of printing such asreciprocatory printing, and that the subjoined claims are to beunderstood as in cluding the latter except when so worded as toexpressly excludethem.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination in a value printing device, a printing die includingsettable value printing wheels in spaced side-by-side relation; andprotection means for said die including a blade positioned between theprinting wheels and having a portion projectable beyond the printingsurface of the printing die at the precise position of the value to beprinted to prevent the taking of unauthorized impressions therefrom.

2. In combination in a value printing device, a printing member and animpression member having relative printing movement therebetween; aprinting die on the printing member and including settable valueprinting wheels in spaced side-by-side relation; protection means forsaid die including a blade positioned between the printing wheels andhaving a portion projectable beyond the printing surface of the printingdie at the precise position of the value to be printed to prevent thetaking of unauthorized impressions therefrom and retractable below saidsurface to permit printing therefrom at appropriate times; and meansresponsive to said relative movement for automatically effecting theprojection and retraction of said protective blade portion.

3. In combination in a value printing device, a printing member and animpression member having relative printing movement therebetween; aprinting die on the print ing member and including settable valueprinting wheels in spaced side-by-side relation; protection means forsaid die including a blade positioned between the printing wheels andhaving a portion projectable beyond the print ing surface of theprinting die to prevent the taking of unauthorized impressions therefromand retractable below said surface to permit printing therefrom atappropre ate times, and a portion extending to One side of said wheelsconstituting a mounting section and an actuating arm; means rockablymounting said blade on said printing member at said mounting section;and means responsive to said relative movement for moving said actuatingarm to elfect the projection and retraction of said protective bladeportion.

4. In combination in a value printing device, a frame; a printing drumrotatable on the frame; a printing die on the drum including settablevalue printing wheels in spaced side-by-side relation; protection meansfor said die including a blade positioned between the printing wheelsand having a portion projectable beyond the printing surface of theprinting die to prevent the taking of unauthorized impressions therefromand retractable below said surface to permit printing therefrom atappropriate times, and a portion extending to one side of said wheelsconstituting a mounting section and an actuating arm; means rockablymounting said blade on said drum at said mounting section; and meansresponsive to rotation of said drum on said frame for moving saidactuating arm to effect projection and retraction of said protectiveblade portion.

5. In combination in a value printing device, a frame; a printing drumrotatable .on the frame; a printing die on the drum including settablevalue printing Wheels in spaced side-by-side relation; protection meansfor said die including a blade positioned between the printing wheelsand having a portion projectable beyond the printing surface of theprinting die to prevent the taking of unauthorized impressions therefromand retractable below said surface to permit printing therefrom atappropriate times, and a portion extending to one side of said wheelsconstituting a mounting section and an actuating arm; means rockablymounting said blade on said drum at said mounting section; a leverrockable on said drum having a portion engaging said actuating arm and aperipherally directed cam surface; and a lever deflecting element onsaid frame in a position to engage said cam surface and rock said leverto compel projection of said protective blade portion during certainpositions of said drum.

6. In combination in a value printing device, a frame; a printing drumrotatable on the frame; a housing enclosing said drum, but having anopening adjacent the printing position; a printing die on the drumincluding settable value printing Wheels in spaced side-by-siderelation; protection means for said die including a blade positionedbetween the printing wheels and having a portion projectable beyond theprinting surface of the printing die at the precise position of thevalue to be printed to prevent the taking of unauthorized impressionstherefrom and retractable below said surface to permit printingtherefrom at appropriate times; andmeans responsive to rotation of saiddrum on said frame for automatically effecting projection of saidprotective blade portion while the printing die is traveling through aportion of its exposed rotation adjacent said housing opening.

7. In combination in a value printing device, a printing die includingsettable value printing wheels in spaced side-by-side relation; atoothed wheel of smaller diameter than said wheels secured to one ofsaid wheels and located between them; protection means for said dieincluding a blade positioned between the printing Wheels and having aportion projectable beyond the printing surface of the printing die toprevent the taking of unauthorized impressions therefrom and retractablebelow said surface to permit printing therefrom at appropriate times; atooth on said blade engageable with the teeth of said toothed wheel whenthe blade is retracted; and spring means urging said blade towardsretracted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,874,073 Wheeler et al. Aug. 30, 1932 1,904,638 Wheeler et al. Apr. 18,1933 2,568,624 Hanson .a Sept. 18, 1951 2,743,668 Hanson et a1 May 1,1956

